The iOS 8 release date is September 17th and it will arrive for older iPhones, iPads and iPod devices. The iOS 8 release is a free update that you can install over the air as a download or when you connect to iTunes.

iPhone and iPad owners can expect the iOS 8 release time around 1PM Eastern, 10 AM Pacific on September 17th.

There are exciting new iOS 8 features that users can look forward to using on their device that day, but there is normally a huge rush that could lead to some issues upgrading on the iOS 8 release date.

The iOS 8 release date is confirmed for September 17th.

If you plan to buy a new iPhone on the iPhone 6 release date, it may not be worth upgrading. The iPhone 6 release is two days later and it comes with iOS 8 installed.

There is no support for iOS 8 on the iPhone 4 or iPad 1. If you want to update and you are using a jailbreak you should definitely wait as it may be a while before we see an iOS 8 jailbreak release date.

Here are a look at our top 10 iOS 8 features that you can look forward to on these devices. After using iOS 8 for months these are some of the best features Apple offers in this free update.

Texts, Calls, Hotspot & Handoff – Your calls and texts show up on Mac and iPad and you can easily use the iPhone hotspot as well as bring your work with you between devices when you switch from one to the other.

Notifications – Quickly reply to notifications without leaving the app they are in.

iOS 8 vs iOS 7 Walkthrough - Home Screen

We start our iOS 8 vs iOS 7 walkthrough with the iPhone home screen, which is where you'll start your iOS 8 experience after an update this fall.

These screens are incredibly important as you see them anytime you turn on the iPhone or need to choose an app to launch. There is no way around using them, so Apple needs to make sure they work just right.

As you can see in the iOS 8 vs iOS 7 comparison above, there is no change between the home screen in the new iPhone software. Apple changed the status bar and some other small visual changes in iOS 7, but there are no updates for iOS 8.

We could see Apple change the home screen slightly for iOS 8 for the iPhone 6. The new iPhone will feature a larger 4.7-inch display with a higher resolution. This is something Apple may use to add more icons to the screen. Or they could stick with the current layout, it's tough to tell.